Felice Leonardo "Leo" Buscaglia PhD ( Los Angeles, CA March 31, 1924 - Glenbrook, Nevada June 12, 1998), also known as "Dr. Love," was an American author and motivational speaker, and a professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Southern California. Buscaglia was born into a family of Italian immigrants. While teaching at USC, Buscaglia was moved by a student's suicide to contemplate human disconnectedness and the meaning of life, and began a non-credit class he called Love 1A. His book and numerous recorded and televised lectures, some of which became available through PBS, became extremely well received.